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Year 7: Myths and Legends home pack Name: Form: Teacher: School week 7 W.C. 02.11.2020 Lesson 1: This week, you are going to look at the introduction of the human hero. Previously to this, our focus has been on characters who are Gods or part of the supernatural in some way. What is a hero? How many examples can you give of a hero? • • • • • • Below are Propp’s character conventions. These are characters you can expect to see in a traditional adventure story and what their role is. How do you think the heroic figure has changed over time? Think about what the Greek expectations were, then Roman and what we are familiar with today. Greek Roman Modern In the past, we have looked at heroes as masculine figures. Do you think this is still relevant today? Do we expect heroes to be masculine? Explain your thinking. Why is it important to have a human hero? How does it impact the story and the reader’s relationship with it? Lesson 2: What are the purpose of the following characters, according to Propp’s conventions. Do this from memory first and then you can look back to complete any that are missing. Hero – Villain – Doner – Helper – Princess – Dispatcher – Princess’ father – False hero - Read ‘The Sword in the Stone’. Does it fit any of the seven basic plots? Which one and why? How is Arthur presented as a heroic character? Use the questions below to help you: What is Arthur like? Arthur is presented as a heroic character as he is… How does the text show us this? This is shown when… The Sword in the Stone Our story begins in the fifth century with King Uther who reigned in the south of Britain. He was a good king who kept his country safe and peaceful. King Uther loved a beautiful woman, Igraine, and wanted to marry her. But, alas she did not accept his proposal. There also lived at this time the great prophet and alchemist Merlin who we know was an embodiment of our beloved Saint Germain. Merlin had powers that some called magical. These powers were actually the ability to use God’s flow of energy to bring forth God’s will on earth. Merlin said to King Uther, “I will arrange for you to marry Igraine but only on the condition that when you have a child, you will give him to me. These are troubled times and I promise that your child will be raised in a secret place where no one will know his true identity.” King Uther agreed, “Yes, I promise, for I trust you.” Uther knew Merlin would raise his child according to God’s will. King Uther and Igraine married and when they had a baby son, who they named Arthur, King Uther kept his promise. Merlin took the child to the honorable knight Sir Ector, who had another son named Kay. Sir Ector was called the Trustworthy Knight because of the noble manner in which he treated others. It was in this family that Arthur and Kay grew and learned together as brothers. Now it came to pass that the noble King Uther was old and ready to pass from this life. He called for Merlin. “Merlin, I am concerned that I am not long for this life and have need of a king to succeed me. It is my earnest wish that my son Arthur wear my crown. I bid him therefore that he claim it in a righteous and just spirit, when the time is right.” Merlin said, “I assure you that your wish will be granted according to God’s will.” Shortly thereafter King Uther passed away, and, as Merlin had feared, there was now great conflict over who should be the next king. The knights and great men began to battle for the throne. As a result, there was no new king for a long time. Several years later, Merlin went to London to speak to the Archbishop of Canterbury, the most important man in the Church. Merlin said to him, “Call the knights to London. Tell them to fast and pray to prepare for this holy time of year. It is then that we will find the new king.” The Archbishop obeyed and summoned all the knights to London. It was the season of Christmas, and in the great cathedral, a service was held. The people prayed that they receive a sign indicating who was to be their rightful king. Following the service there appeared in the courtyard a strange, white stone, like marble. In the stone was a steel anvil with a great, glistening sword thrust into it. The sword had letters of gold written on it, which read: “Whoso pulleth out this sword of this stone and anvil is rightwise king born of all England.” Everyone was surprised and the Archbishop himself came outside to look. Understanding this as the sign they were praying for, he said, “I grant permission for any of the knights to try to pull the sword from this stone.” Many tried hoping to be king, but no one could even move it. “He is not here,” said the archbishop. “God will make him known when the time is right.” Then he set a guard of ten knights to keep the stone, and the Archbishop appointed a day when all should come from near and far to try at the stone. In the meantime, outside of London the knights had been invited to participate in a jousting tournament. One of the families summoned to this tourney was Sir Ector and his two sons Sir Kay and Arthur. Sir Kay, now old enough to participate, took young Arthur along as his esquire-at-arms to carry his spear and pennant. It was during the first round in which Sir Kay, fighting with great strength and determination, broke his sword. “Arthur, run to find me another sword, so that I continue in this tournament,” he commanded his younger brother. Arthur obeyed immediately. He remembered seeing the sword in the courtyard and hastened there. The sword in the stone stood alone as all the knights were now at the tournament. Arthur approached the stone, took the sword in his hand and pulled. It came out of the stone easily. Arthur ran back to his brother with the sword. When his father and brother saw it, Sir Ector did ask, “Where did that sword come from?” “I pulled it from the stone in the courtyard,” Arthur answered innocently. Sir Ector and Sir Kay exchanged glances. For, they knew the meaning of this action. “Arthur, are you sure it was the sword and stone in the courtyard?” “Yes, Father, it was the same,” replied Arthur. His father then, went with Sir Kay and Arthur back to the place outside the church. Sir Ector put the sword in the stone again. “Now pull it out,” he said to Arthur. Arthur pulled and again he easily removed the sword from the anvil. Sir Ector saw this and he and Sir Kay fell to their knees in front of Arthur. “You are my King,” Sir Ector said. Arthur did not understand. “What do you mean?” he asked. “Arthur,” Sir Ector said slowly, 'I love you very much, but I am not really your father.” Sir Ector then went on to tell the story of Merlin bringing Arthur to him for his safety. “Now, I know why he did this,” continued Sir Ector. Arthur knew in his heart that what his father was saying was true. He accepted his mantle and said, “I will work to be a fair and just king. I will listen to your words, because I love you as my father. Sir Kay, my brother, you will be an important knight and a friend to me.” The story of the Sword Excalibur was just the beginning of the wondrous life of King Arthur. For he went on to rule fairly just as he promised and Sir Kay did become one of his knights. King Arthur understood that to rule as King was the Key to the Incarnation of God. And so as the story of King Arthur lives on in our hearts, we can strive each day to become more of the incarnation of God in our own lives as King Arthur did. Lesson 3: What do you already know about Robin Hood? • • • • • • Is Robin Hood a hero or a villain, based off of what you already know, and why? Read ‘Robin Hood’ Does it fit any of the seven basic plots? Which one and why? ‘Robin Hood is actually a villainous character’. How far do you agree with this statement? To answer a question like this you must first decide if you agree to disagree with the statement. Do you think Robin Hood is a villain or a hero? Villain Hero If you think villain, you would complete your answer as below. What is Robin Hood? Robin Hood is presented to be a villainous character. How is Robin Hood presented as villainous? This is shown when (evidence from the text and explained). If you think hero, you would complete your answer as below. What is Robin Hood? Robin Hood is presented to be a heroic character. How is Robin Hood presented as heroic? This is shown when (evidence from the text and explained). If you think Robin Hood could be seen as both a hero and a villain, you could follow the below outline. What is Robin Hood? Robin Hood may be presented as a villainous character.
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